Macaroni Kid Southern PG County is spreading cheer this Halloween by creating 100 Boo Bags to give out to the local community for FREE! I'm so thankful to our sponsors Bloom & Play Learning Center, Lab Rascals, and Fit4Mom Woodmore for helping me create something this community has never had before. I encourage you to click on each of the links to find out more about their business and what they offer to our local community. If you are reading this and would like to donate please consider sending me something from the 2023 Halloween Boo Bag Amazon Wishlist. I want to take some time to show you what other publishers have created in their community and also give you the resources to create your own Halloween Boo Bag in the event you are not the lucky recipient of a MK Halloween Bag. The sign up list will be sent in a couple weeks in my weekly e-newsletter.
What is a Boo Bag?
It's simply a little Halloween treat that you leave on the doorstep of a friend or neighbor to surprise them! Ring the doorbell and run, or simply just leave it right outside for them to discover next time they come outside. You can leave it anonymously or add your name! You can leave it anytime this month — not just on Halloween. Really, there are no rules. A Boo Bag is simply just an act of kindness meant to bring a smile to someone's face. Hopefully the recipient will pay it forward, helping spread Halloween cheer throughout town!
Want to surprise someone with this Halloween? Check out nine creative Boo Bag theme ideas, for all ages.
Kid Boo Basket
Kids love surprises! Fill a bag or a basket with Halloween toys, coloring books and crayons, glow sticks, play dough, puzzles, and balloons. Create some fun with a craft kit or gather materials to complete any of these easy, fun Halloween and fall projects — don't forget to include the directions!
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Teal Boo Basket
Don't forget your friends with food allergies! We love to support the Teal Pumpkin Project, a special way that you can make Halloween brighter for youngsters with food allergies and other medically restricted diets. Fill that teal pumpkin with things like glow sticks, bookmarks, playing cards, stickers, and stencils. Click here for more ideas and to find out how to take part in the Teal Pumpkin Project this Halloween.
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Baby Boo Basket
You're never too young to get Boo'd! New parents and babies are the perfect target for a bag of helpful goodies. Fill it with diapers, bubble bath, sensory or teething toys, wipe pouches, and story books. Add in some treats for parents such as snacks, lactation treats, or maybe even some fancy coffee for the sleep-deprived parents.
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'Boo'ze Basket
Boo Baskets don't just have to be for kids! Adults can have some treats of their own! Gather your favorite bottle, or a few mini ones, and mixers. Look up a festive drink recipe and pack up the ingredients. Pick up some spooky goblets and some snacks and you have a 'Boo'ze Basket adults will enjoy!
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Baking Boo Basket
Make your own baking kit with all the ingredients for your Boo'd recipient to whip up something tasty. Pre-mix dry ingredients and print out instructions on how to do the rest. Get festive with Halloween themed sprinkles and cupcake papers. This is a great gift for a family to enjoy together!
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Pumpkin Carving Boo Basket
One of the most fun Halloween traditions is pumpkin carving. Include a pumpkin carving kit, tealight candle or electronic light, jack-o-lantern stencils, and plastic table cloth to lay on the floor or table while carving. Throw in a packet of fun seasoning for their baked pumpkin seeds after carving.
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'Boo'k Basket
Share the joy of reading! Pass on a few books you've already read, pick some out at a used book store, or purchase new. This is a great basket to leave as a surprise for someone at a Little Free Library, perhaps! Need a book suggestion? Kids are loving the new Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure, the newest book by Jeff Kinney, author of the beloved Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
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Pampering Boo Basket
Have a friend that just needs some pampering? Give them an excuse to enjoy some time alone with a Boo Basket filled with things like face masks, body scrubs, bubble bath, nail polish, epsom salts, bath bombs, and scented candles. Sounds heavenly.
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Photo Boo Basket
We take so many pictures now, but how many of them are on a screen? Actually print out some of those photos featuring the friend you're giving your Boo Basket to and put them in a small photo album or punch holes on one side to tie them together with string or rings. The trip down memory lane will be a real treat! And kids love looking at pictures of themselves and people they know. Add extra fun with some stickers.
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Booing friends is a great way to spread some cheer throughout the community during the Halloween season! The goal is to put a smile on someone's face with an unexpected surprise. Thank you again to Bloom & Play Learning Center, Lab Rascals, and Fit4Mom Woodmore for helping me create Boo Bags for local children in our community. If you haven't signed up to be a sponsor yet there is still time! Email me at nakeisham@macaronikid.com and I can walk you through the sponsorship options. Readers if you would like to donate feel free to contact me or consider purchasing an item from the 2023 Halloween Boo Bag Amazon Wishlist.
Special thanks to FARE, along with Macaroni KID publishers Andrea Kistler, Carmen Kaethler, Julie Dikken, and Mary Campbell for supplying the photos used in this story.
